Vladimir Andreevich Pelepenko is one of the most prominent mineral collector in Russia. He lives in Middle Urals - in the city of Ekaterinburg. His collection, which have been built during last 30 years, includes more then 17,000 specimens, covering 956 mineral species.

Geography of specimens is mostly Russia and Former Soviet Republics. A lot of specimens come from Kazakhstan, Tadzhikistan, Turkmeniya and Uzbekistan, East Siberia and Far East. About a quarter of his collection is made up of minerals from famous Dalnegorsk boron and polymetallic deposit. He collected there beautiful clusters of fluorite crystals, quartz of unusual forms, calcite, danburite, datolite and many other minerals. A considerable part of Pelepenko's collection made up of Ural minerals - emeralds, chrysoberyls, malachite, topazes of Mursinka, amethyst from Vatikha, etc...

For many years Vladimir dreamed to open a public Mineralogical Museum. Two years ago, in 2001 Vladimir Pelepenko's dream became reality: he opened the first private public Mineralogical Museum in Ural. It obtained official status of public museum and now is entitled: "Urals Mineralogical Museum". It is situated at the very center of Ekaterinburg, the capital of Middle Urals. There are two halls with exposition cases in the museum with more then 2,000 specimens in them.